NEW HOT PAPERS

Why do you think your paper is highly cited?

This paper provides a comprehensive overview and update of the latest findings in the very exciting and rapidly evolving field of sugar sensing and signaling in plants, which affects nearly all aspects of plant growth and development. Several of the mechanisms discussed turn out to be conserved throughout evolution, from yeast to man, underscoring their fundamental and pivotal roles and the relevance of this research for other organisms as well.

Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or synthesis of knowledge?

This paper is a review providing a synthesis of knowledge from various perspectives.

How would you summarize the significance of your paper in layman’s terms?

Research during the last decade has firmly established the general dual role of sugars as both regulatory signaling molecules and carbon and energy sources. Important contributions have come from work done with the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

This review comprehensively covers the different possible sources of sugar signals in plants, mutants identified in a variety of screens, the sugar regulation of genes and proteins at different levels, and both evolutionarily conserved—for example, comparing the findings in yeast, which serves as an excellent model and tool—and novel, plant-specific mechanisms and target genes and processes. We hope to provide a general information basis for a broad readership and also help to determine future directions in research.

How did you become involved in this research, and were there any particular problems encountered along the way?

After obtaining a Ph.D. in yeast genetics, studying yeast glucose-sensing and cAMP signaling, I took the opportunity to explore a new, multicellular, and aesthetically more appealing model organism at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. The transition went very smoothly and I became fascinated by the physiology, flexibility, and plasticity of plant growth, along with the numerous complex hormones and signaling pathways. The wider implications of sugar signaling for plant growth and physiology have been quite stimulating and have led to the development of broad research interests.

Where do you see your research leading in the future?

Recent research has revealed an important role for the enzyme hexokinase1 (HXK1) as a conserved glucose sensor, acting directly on gene expression by associating with nuclear complexes (Moore B, et al., “Role of the Arabidopsis glucose sensor HXK1 in nutrient, light, and hormonal signaling,” Science 14: 332-336, 2003.; Cho Y, et al., “Regulatory functions of nuclear hexokinase1 complex in glucose signaling,” Cell 127: 579-589, 2006).

Our focus has now also been expanded to understanding how plants deal with dark and stress conditions that compromise photosynthesis and respiration and deplete energy supplies. Our most recent paper (Baena-Gonzalez E, et al. “A central integrator of transcription networks in plant stress and energy signaling” Nature 448: 938-943, 2007) describes the role of the conserved protein kinases KIN10/11 as the central integrators of large transcription networks in plant stress and energy signaling.

Future research will further elaborate on the precise molecular mechanisms involved and the target genes and processes affected. We are expecting to learn more from the combination of powerful cellular and systems screens and the development of new technologies. Finally, a major challenge will be to translate this knowledge to agronomical applications.

Are there any social or political implications for your research?

Since sugar signals mediate the plant’s response to changes in the environment and profoundly affect and control plant carbon allocation, stress resistance, architecture, and development, they provide a huge potential for improving crop yield and renewable energy production. Given the broad complexity and the very profound effects, figuring out the molecular details of the signaling pathways will be crucial in order to facilitate directed genetic modification of crop plants.

Filip Rolland
Post-doctoral researcher
VIB Department of Molecular Microbiology
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology
Institute of Botany and Microbiology
Heverlee-Leuven, Belgium

* Note, this comment (received March 2008) pertains to a previous data period. View the list of New Hot Papers for source date information regarding that period.